Asbestos has been used for pipe insulation, and this specific insulation has been applied to pipes in the forms of preformed fibrous asbestos wrapping, asbestos fiber felt, insulated cement, corrugated paper and in mixtures of magnesia with asbestos. The applied asbestos insulating material is generally covered with a protective jacket made of cloth, paper or cement. In some instances, the asbestos insulation is covered with tape or millboard.
However, asbestos has been found to be harmful to human beings and its fields of application are either being eliminated or increasingly restricted. The reason is that asbestos adheres in the lungs upon inhalation and spreads to other parts of the body, and becomes, among other things, a known carcinogen. In view of these known risks of asbestos as a health hazard, public officials have required the removal of asbestos insulation materials that have been applied in: the construction field; heating insulation; partition walls; fire retarding materials in floor structures, etc.
During the removal of asbestos, the area of removal is generally sealed off and the asbestos is sucked into containers from which the dust-like asbestos particles are removed and packed into plastic bags. The bags are taken to garbage stations where they are stored or buried. However, during these handling operations there is a risk that the asbestos will escape from the bags, either when the asbestos is being filled into the bags or during transport if a bag is damaged.
In the case where large amounts of asbestos are transported to garbage stations, water is poured over the asbestos to prevent dust formation.
However, because of the health risks posed by dust, sealing off or containment of the work area from which asbestos is to be removed is essential, and such containment requires construction of barriers with plastic sheets joined with folded seams and sealing tape at the seams and boundaries. Moreover, air locks and worker decontamination facilities equipped with showers must be employed when a negative air pressure system is used in concert with the sealing off or contaimmante method and abatement or removal activities are generally carried out during vacations or at times when few people are in the premises in order to reduce risks.
In these circumstances, it is well known that the cost of containment can often times exceed the cost of the actual abatement. Further yet, in these containment procedures for asbestos abatement or removal, the worker is still required to enter the containment area in order to remove the asbestos.
In the area of containment, it is also known that, during removal of asbestos insulation coverings from pipes and valves, the operation is attendant with risks because of the tendency for remnants or small asbestos fibers to remain intact around the pipes and valves, and become airborne, either during removal or at a later point in time after the removal operation is finished.
The invention relates to a complete wet method of removing and recovering harmful insulating materials which are detrimental to the environment, in a manner such that the materials are not dissipated into the surroundings to pollute the environment and harm human beings. One of the materials falling into this harmful category is asbestos.
It is an object of the present invention to provide trough means for complete wet removal of asbestos insulation and other hazardous materials from pipes, joints and valves, without the need to provide an elaborate containment area having construction barriers with plastic sheets joined with folded seams, and sealing tape at the seams.
It is a further object of the invention to provide trough means for complete wet removal of asbestos insulation and other hazardous materials from pipes, joints and valves, without the need to provide air locks and worker decontamination facilities with showers, in association with a containment area.
A yet further object of the invention is to provide trough means for complete wet removal of asbestos insulation and other hazardous materials from pipes, joints and valves, without the need for establishing negative air pressure systems to insure against escape of harmful fiber particles into the environment.
These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent from the disclosure, and detailed descriptions hereinafter set forth.